While he claims it was fun to hear all the crazy theories about his potential departure, enough was enough for four-time World Champion Max Verstappen.
Verstappen has officially confirmed he will be staying at Red Bull for the 2026 season and brushed off all speculation linking him to other teams. Of course, the contract he signed had the Dutchman staying with Red Bull until 2028. He did, however, avoid confirming that he will still be racing for Helmut Marko’s Team throughout said contract.
Mercedes had been rumoured to be the frontrunner team to sign Verstappen; offering a potential multi-year contract with one of the best-performing teams of the hybrid era. While considered an outlandish move for many, we must not forget that we woke up one morning to Lewis Hamilton being signed by Ferrari and leaving the team that gave him six driver’s championships.
Was he allowed to leave?
We all know Verstappen, who rarely, if ever, discloses private information to the media, especially with matters as sensitive as his contract. It is safe to assume we are all in the dark when trying to answer this question.
So, while we cannot present any guarantees, we can inform you there was an implicit understanding on Verstappen having an exit clause that could’ve been triggered this weekend. Having an exit clause is standard practice for F1 drivers, especially successful ones, but it’s the nature of said clause that everyone wanted to know.
Apparentely, should Verstappen be 4th or lower in the Driver’s championship by the end of the Hungary Grand Prix, he was allowed to leave Red Bull free of charge, per the exit clause.
As it stands, Verstappen currently sits third in the championship and is ironically being chased by the very driver he was speculated to replace, George Russell. Yet even if the Briton managed to come up first in the Hungarian Grand Prix, the 25 points earned from such a feat would still be 3 points short to climb to third position in the championship.
Now, if Russell ever considered underperforming in order to stop Max Verstappen’s exit clause from becoming available, we will never know. The irony just writes itself, doesn’t it?
Where are we standing now?
Verstappen’s long-term future is certainly not clear, and it is widely believed that the new 2026 regulations are the reason he is keeping his options open.
The impact of the new regulations should not be understated. The power output of the ICU and electric engines, maximum weight, active aero, DRS elimination, and other elements are all changing, and whichever team nails the development will have an edge.
The teams invest heavily in designing every single part, which usually takes years. Realizing you got some or all of it wrong and having to do a full 180 while also fighting for a championship is incredibly hard. This is what gave Mercedes its unparalleled dominance in the early years of the V6-Hybrid era, where no team came close to its performance.
For now, many drivers can take a breath and enjoy their summer break knowing the reigning champion is staying under Red Bull’s wings. His departure would’ve set so many wheels in motion; it’s hard to map out all the implications. However, if you would like me to amuse you, it would’ve most likely been Russell.
Yet George Rusell is an outstanding driver who many would like to see behind their F1 car, with Red Bull ironically being the first to try and swap him for the underperforming Yuki Tsunoda, which in turn would shake the grounds at Racing Bulls with Liam Lawson or Isaak Hadjar being replaced by Tsunoda, or leaving Tsunoda as a free agent (which is another fine driver out). Alternatively, it could have been Aston Martin swapping Lance Stroll or Fernando Alonso, or more unlikely, Haas for Ollie Bearman or Esteban Ocon, or Alpine for Franco Colapinto .
Note that most of these potentially replaced drivers would also turn more wheels on their own, as other teams would be interested in signing them. Plus, that’s not even accounting for all the sponsors reconsidering their investments and the debut of Audi and Cadillac next year.
As you can see, if Max Verstappen moves, the whole board shifts. For now, the paddock remains a quieter place, but silly season rarely remains that way.
